School Day of Non-violence and Peace 2023: Date, History and Significance

On January 30, schools around the world mark School Day of Nonviolence and Peace to encourage the citizens of tomorrow to seek nonviolent solutions to disputes. The day, which originated in Spain and has since expanded throughout the world, honours the principles of pacifists and proponents of nonviolence, such as Mahatma Gandhi.

HISTORY OF SCHOOL DAY OF NON-VIOLENCE AND PEACE

Llorenc Vidal Vidal, a Spanish poet, educator, and pacifist, believed that schools should be the site where future leaders and citizens are taught the value of universal peace and nonviolent conflict resolution. Towards this purpose, he established the School Day of Nonviolence and Peace on January 30, the anniversary of the passing of Mahatma Gandhi, the iconic prophet of world peace.

Vidal began the day in his native Majorca. He conceived of the day as a starting point for developing an educational ecosystem that promotes the teaching of nonviolence. Due in great part to his efforts, the day has become a pioneering, non-governmental, autonomous, free, and volunteer initiative to disseminate the teachings of “non-violent and pacifying education,” which has been incorporated into educational frameworks around the world.

Today, the day is celebrated globally and is also referred to by the abbreviation DENIP, which is taken from its Spanish name. DENIP is working to establish and promote an educational culture and ecosystem that values nonviolence and peace. It promotes the superiority of universal love over egoism, nonviolence over violence, and peace over war.

On this day, schools around the world hold activities and conferences where educators, teachers, and students of all grade levels are welcome to engage and discuss freely how to establish a nonviolent, peaceful, and just society. These activities propose educating students to recognise and promote the significance of peaceful coexistence, tolerance of diverse viewpoints, solidarity, respect for human rights, and nonviolence.

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Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was a social and political reformer who led a nonviolent fight against India’s discriminatory caste system during the 1800s and 1900s.

Bertrand Russell was one of the few individuals who participated in nonviolent actions in opposition to the First World War.

Following the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr. expanded his fight for equal rights via nonviolence and civil disobedience in the 1950s and 1960s.

Helen Keller’s childhood blindness and deafness inspired her to advocate for handicap rights throughout her life.

Medea Benjamin, an American political activist, co-founded ‘Code Pink: Women for Peace,’ an independent, non-governmental organisation that fights to shift resources from conflicts to life-affirming activities like healthcare and education.

SCHOOL DAY OF NON-VIOLENCE AND PEACE DATES